In the location's words:

Built in 1606, the Ottoneum is the first building in Germany constructed exclusively for theatrical purposes and has an extremely varied history. Its natural history collections date back to the landgrave's cabinet of rarities and are among the oldest in Europe.

The Ottoneum, home of the Natural History Museum in Kassel

Over the centuries, internationally renowned researchers have worked in the Ottoneum. The long-lasting collection tradition and the cooperation with local associations, which continues to this day, have created the natural history memory of North Hesse. Today, the Natural History Museum publishes its own scientific journal Philippia and owns around 785,000 collection items, the majority of which are digitally recorded and available for research.